This invention relates generally to cleat assemblies configured for releasable securement to pedals for bicycles and the like, and, more particularly, to cleat assemblies incorporating flexible spring clips for releasable engagement with the pedals.
Cleat assemblies of this particular kind typically include a spring housing and an overlaying bottom plate configured to be attached to the sole of a user's shoe. The spring housing and bottom plate, together, define a central opening sized and configured to conformably receive a pedal. The spring housing supports one or more spring clips adjacent to the central opening, for engaging and releasably retaining the pedal.
When the cleat assembly is disengaged from a pedal and the user is walking about on the ground, the cleat assembly's bottom plate is in direct engagement with the ground. The bottom plate typically is formed of a metallic material, so this direct engagement has required the user to use care when walking about. This direct engagement also has led to undesired wear of the bottom plate. Additionally, the metallic material has required the user to use care not to scratch the pedal when engaging the cleat assembly to the pedal.
In the past, improper over-tightening of the bottom plate over the spring housing has sometimes unduly restricted free flexing movement of the spring clip, thus sometimes making it more difficult to engage or disengage the spring clip to/from the pedal. Users have overcome this drawback in the past only by exercising proper care when tightening the bottom plate.
Some cleat assemblies of this particular kind have been configured to provide an adjustable float angle, typically being provided by one or more set screws. In the past, the set screws have been supported in threaded apertures, which typically have been formed by a manual tapping procedure. This has been found to be unduly labor-intensive and expensive.
In the past, removing a cleat assembly of this particular kind from the sole of a user's shoe sometimes required the user to disassemble the entire cleat assembly. This made re-installation of the cleat assembly more difficult and raised the possibility that the user might misplace parts of the cleat assembly while it was detached from the shoe.
In the past, the set screws and other screws present in cleat assemblies of this particular kind had a tendency to work their way loose during use of the cleat assembly. One way that users counteracted this problem was by using an adhesive, such as Loctite. The use of a separate adhesive has been found to be unduly labor-intensive and undesirable.
It should be appreciated from the foregoing description that there is a need for an improved cleat assembly that overcomes the drawbacks discussed above. Specifically, there is a need for a cleat assembly configured to allow for a range of tightening of its components without substantially affecting the free flexing of the assembly's one or more spring clips. Further, there is a need for a cleat assembly configured to eliminate direct engagement between metallic components and the ground when the assembly is disengaged from a pedal and the user is walking about. Further, there is a need for an improved cleat assembly of a kind incorporating one or more set screws for adjusting the assembly's float angle, which eliminates the need to manually tap a threaded aperture for supporting each set screw. Further, there is a need for an improved cleat assembly configured so that it can be removed from the sole of a user's shoe without requiring the user to disassemble the entire cleat assembly. Further, there is a need for an improved cleat assembly configured so that the set screws and other screws present in the cleat assembly stay in position without the need for a separate adhesive. The present invention satisfies these needs and provides further related advantages.